Raptors spoil Knicks party – BasketUSA

As Madison Square Garden celebrates 75 years of the first NBA game between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau’s men start off with a bang, with a furious Julius Randle. The All-Star southpaw is monstrous, and Precious Achiuwa can only see the damage. His teammates caught fire at 3 points with eight successes in the first quarter alone.

Julius Randle is in gluttonous mode (18 points, 4 rebounds already!) But his teammates take their foot off the accelerator a little during the second quarter. Result: the Raptors take advantage, with a very effective duo Gary Trent Jr. (14 points) – OG Anunoby (19 points) and at the break, they are only two possessions behind (57-53).

Gary Trent Jr. is tough, and he’s not shy. Twice in a row, left alone, he punished from afar to allow his family to continue to push the Knicks. On a 3-point from Svi Mykhailiuk, Nick Nurse’s men pass in front, and it is now up to them to take the lead. Despite the absences of Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes, fight like dogs over each of the possessions, and New Yorkers foil.

Only RJ Barrett played at his level in the second half, and the gap swelled to reach 15 points in the 4th quarter. Thanks to a superb second half, Toronto won 113-104 for a 4th straight victory!

WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER

The Knicks 3-point start. Evan Fournier, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett set the Garden on fire during the huge first quarter with a 3-point 8 of 12! With a workforce more oriented on the outside shoot, Tom Thibodeau has the leisure to propose systems with a lot of reversals in the opposite direction to find the best possible shoot.

The third quarter. This is the turning point for the Raptors. Spurred on by Trent Jr, Anunoby, and VanVleet, the Canadiens put on the warm-up after the break to put the Bockers on the ropes and then the mat. With huge team streaks, fast play and a small festival from afar with 7 3-point wins, Nick Nurse’s men turned the tide and built the foundations for their success.

Julius Randle passed away. Four, like the number of points scored by Julius Randle in the last three quarters. Unstoppable during the first quarter (18 points), the buffalo of “Big Apple” lost his breath and his energy during the rest of the meeting, making a series of bad choices and visibly tired. After his first shift festival, Julius Randle has disappeared …

TOPS / FLOPS

✅ OG Anunoby. Career record for the Raptors winger with 36 points scored in the basketball mecca. Obviously, it marks the spirits. From a distance, up close, and with a reliable new mid-range shot, the London native has been stepping into high gear since the start of the season. In the absence of Siakam and Barnes, he shows that he is becoming a threat at every corner of the floor, not to mention his considerable impact in defense.

✅ Gary Trent Jr. The “son of” caused misery to Evan Fournier and the other backs of the Bockers. Free in attack and very applied in defense, the former Blazers plays without fear and without reproach. Despite the blows received and a small problem in the ankle during the third quarter, the back is asserting himself as an interesting “two-way player”. A complete game for him with 26 points, 4 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists.

⛔ Evan Fournier. The Frenchman, who has just celebrated his 29th birthday, had a hard time to start his week. Not really in rhythm, little available in attack, the native of Charenton achieved his worst performance since his arrival in Manhattan. With only 25 minutes of play, and a “more than average” 5/13 on shots, he was unable to take over from Julius Randle after the break.

HISTORICAL

75 years ago, on November 1, 1946, the Toronto Huskies faced the New York Knicks for the first game in NBA history. For its 75th anniversary, the NBA therefore offered (almost) the same poster, we attended several cool moments to pay tribute to the Knicks players who have marked the history of the franchise, including Clyde Frazier, and Bob McAdoo among others.

THE FOLLOWING

New York (5-2) : the Knicks will try to revive Wednesday night at the Pacers

Toronto (5-3) : complicated trip since the Raptors go to the amazing Wizards.